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Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is now giving his support to the Bristol bid. In addition to new jobs, it is expected that the award will:

â generate £1 million worth of national and international media coverage for the city;

â bring 1,000 professional and business tourists to the city, generating an estimated £800,000 for the local economy;

â lead to 5,000 people becoming engaged in "green" activities and accelerate the city's progress towards meeting carbon targets by the end of the decade;

â generate £500,000 of sponsorship for the city;

â trigger £500,000 of European funding for major "green" projects.

Colin Skellet, chair of the newly-created Local Enterprise Partnership said: "This is very good news for the city and is a clear signal of Bristol's standing as a great place to do business.

"Winning the title of European Green Capital would provide an excellent platform for local businesses to market themselves on the national and international stage and help attract new investment to the West of England."

If Bristol wins Green Capital status, then it will be used to help bring new investment to the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone which aims to attract 4,000 new jobs during the next five years.

It is also expected to raise Bristol's profile in Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese markets. The city is not as strong in these markets as some other British cities, such as Manchester, for example, because we don't have such high-profile football teams.

Hamburg, which was Green Capital of Europe last year, created more than 1,000 new jobs in renewable energy and environmental technology as a result of winning the award.

Stockholm, which won the award in 2010, estimate the value of the Swedish media coverage was £1 million and more in the international media.

Alan Bailey, chair of Low Carbon South West, a body which represents "green" firms in the region and which currently employs about 18,000 people in Bristol, said: "Bristol winning the European Green Capital Award and the resultant publicity and business profile raising that the award and the 2014 programme would deliver will enable our world class innovators to sell more products and services creating local jobs and economic growth."

Council leader Simon Cook said the award would be a tremendous fillip to the city during the current economic downturn.

He said: "Bristol would benefit enormously from this award. It would encourage many business and professional visits to the city and we expect that it would attract national and international conferences which would help the local economy.

"Stockholm had six months to organise their year and attracted 1,000 professional visitors to their own events and conferences.

"This generated an estimated £800,000 for the local economy in hotels and other expenditure.

"Other cities have been able use the award to attract other organisations events and conferences."

Mr Clegg said in a letter to Mr Cook that the Government would support the city if it won the award.

Comments

If you don't know what it will deliver, blame the Post for failing to present the case fully, accurately, effectively and frequently enough.
The evidence is in the bid, which is what we will be judged upon.
To have got this far suggests we have made a clear, accountable, effective and realistic bid.

I would love to see Bristol win the Green Capital of Europe but what does it really mean (Colin Skellet's mugface does not win it for me) and what does it truly deliver? So much hype and signature collecting but I haven't heard or seen what or how Bristol is actually going to address the challenge! Fewer buses and/or cars clogging the roads...better buildings... more green space? Loads of hype and spin but I have not seen anything in last few weeks that tells me what it means! I know Frankfurt very well and they 'show' green! I brought some Indian/Middle Eastern Clients here not so long ago...they walked away to invest £2bn in the Midlands. You have to deliver!

@Eric Clark1
The greens and their ilk have done more than anyone to stop investment and growth in this City.
So it is a bit rich to trumpet how there initiative will generate jobs and growth whilst stopping a stadium development which had the potential to propel Bristol City into the premier league with the potential income a hundred fold bigger.
Hope that clarifies the point I was attempting to make

When will the Council and Business leaders in this city learn that awards such as this are not won with PR and spin but with action.
This is not a green city. All the people spouting on about it being a green city are business people and council leaders whose actions are actively harming the city's green aspirations. Just because they release press which states the opposite of the truth, they think that is enough.
PR and spin is expensive and largely useless. Did they learn no lessons from the Green Bank fiasco where we came last ?

What has Blackpool football club got to do with the green credentials of Bristol. The two things are utterly unrelated.
I think it would be fantastic for this city if we get Green capital status, just the succesful, ongoing cycling city improvements!
Bristol IS green! Just need to get rid of a load of cars and we're there ! Happy days!

Green Capital of Europe - Bristol really is living the dream.
"This generated an estimated £800,000 for the local economy in hotels and other expenditure"
As an aside Blackpools promotion to the Premier League was worth a £100m to the local economy.
The sooner these misguided souls leave Bristol with their anti business/investment agenda
we can finally move Bristol into the 21st century